"The business environment is shifting so fast these days that I'm continuously seeing companies jump from one idea to the next in some kind of frenzied attempt to force results to happen on their time line," says Ardath Albee at the Marketing Interactions blog. "If something doesn't work immediately, they move on to another program or idea."

Doing business in an economic downturn—when everyone wants the comforting reassurance of quick conversions—can exacerbate this condition. Perhaps the results of a particular campaign aren't amazing enough, or marketers just want to try something new.

Whatever the cause, Albee argues against constant shifts in marketing approaches. Why? Because they don't give prospects a chance to digest your message, she explains. Prospects "need time to assimilate and embrace new ideas and strategies," she insists. And constant shape-shifting on your part may simply confuse them.

Time to take a deep breath.

"What you may not realize," Albee warns those who may be morphing too much, "is that companies [that] are staying the course are now in the prime position to pick up where you left off, pulling your prospects … to pay attention to them—not you."

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